Packaging-free grocery shopping enables consumers to avoid single-use packaging and buy specific quantities tailored to their needs. Despite its benefits, it faces challenges such as limited product variety and availability. This qualitative study explores the motivations, behaviors, and strategies of individuals who engage in or discontinue packaging-free shopping, including how they combine packed and unpacked products. Based on 115 open survey responses from packaging-free users across Europe, the study uses Activity Theory (AT) to analyze the interactions between consumers, food formats, and their goals within social and environmental contexts. The findings outline the consumer journey in combining packaging types, identifying tensions and harmonies within packaging systems. The analysis proposes a classification of consumer types based on behaviors, motivations and trip planning, offering insights for assessing environmental impacts, informing Life Cycle Assessments (LCA), and developing practical strategies for more sustainable grocery consumption.